Hot off the heels of the success from VH-1 Classic's - That Metal Show, Jim Florentine has just released his comedy album Cringe "N" Purge on Metal Blade Records. Florentine and his TMS counterpart Don Jamieson were both signed to MB this year for the first ever comedy releases on the label. Unfortunately Jamieson's release was disappointing, so hopefully Florentine has more in his arsenal than his counterpart.
Florentine's release starts off strong and finishes strong without a hiccup. The jokes are funny, racy and totally offensive; all the ingredients for a solid effort. Jim's brand of comedy is on the lines of the great Andrew "Dice" Clay, but in his own style. Jim touches on his metal side, but does not make it totally prevalent in his act. I know a lot of us know him from TMS, but the dude has been on the circuit for awhile, and is known more for his comedy than his love of metal. I like that he didn't use that as a crutch during his act, and stuck to the jokes about his family, and his jokes about kids. This CD had me rolling in several parts. My only critique is that is was hard to hear him at times. It seemed like he was stepping away from the mike and then he would come back in, which made it more audible.
Bottom Line: Some of the best racy comedy I have heard in a while. Jim showing his game outside of TMS and succeeding.
-Ragman had his reservations about this one, but then was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.